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Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
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Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
My name is Pooja Mandal and I am a Quality Manager of an Irish based Construction SME. I initially completed my Bachelors from India in Biotechnology and had gone to pursue my Masters in Bioengineering in Ireland.
I can already see the question mark on the faces of people reading this that how did a person who trained herself in medical devices and healthcare land in construction. All I can say to that is poor timing and low luck. For people with no work experience who opt to study and work outside, it’s always an initial struggle to get a job due to lack of networking or cases were companies do not want to hire students who need a visa.
So back to the main story, I had worked for a good 2 years and as part of my job, I was subjected to a postgraduate diploma training in Business and Management where I fell in love with the subjects of management and leadership. Definitely the fact that me working in an SME where you have a billion roles on your head also added to the realization. I knew at this point that just a diploma will not suffice and an MBA will also create a path to go back to the healthcare sector. That is when I decided to start my preparation for pursuing an MBA. Before I dived into my GMAT preparation, I began sending my resume out to see whether my profile is strong enough for the colleges I wanted to apply for as I just had a mere 2 years. Next once I had the information in regards to what colleges expect, I quickly started my preparation for the GMAT. This was in October 2019.
My First Attempt!!
I officially began preparing for the GMAT from January 2020. Obviously I did what many others have already done before, just bought the official guide books and started studying blindly without actually trying to understand every aspect of the exam. I gave my first attempt in February 29th 2020 just to see or rather get a whiff of the exam (in my head it was another stupid assumption that if I give the exam once and see how it goes, even a failure would definitely help me reduce my nervousness when I give the exam next). I scored a 560.
My Second Attempt!
After the score, I knew that studying without guidance will not work, so I went on YouTube and looked up hundreds of videos where people gave their own guidance on how they scored 700+. Based on the information gathered, I tried the 7 day trial of the economist, liked their strategies (keep in mind I was an absolute novice at this point) I purchased Economist, which definitely helped me understand the GMAT exam a bit more. So I used that software for another 4 months than before the main exam I gave a few official mock tests (Exam 1 to 4) and scored 660-700 in them. Post that, I tried the GMAT official online exam where I scored a 610. Despite an increase, it was just not enough! So I went ahead and purchased Magoosh (after a similar research in GmatClub and YouTube), a different GMAT learning software hoping that maybe I need different strategies that can help me speed up my process of obtaining a high score.
My Third Attempt
I hope you have observed what I said there. I said ‘speed up the process’, the worst four letter sentence I had in my head. This is because I wanted to get out of my current job and get back to the healthcare sector with a desired position as a project manager. So I tried Magoosh for a while, I found their RC strategies really good and in general their strategies for Quant were good as well. Then I gave my next try after four months after scoring 700-720 in my mocks. I scored a 640, at some point I did realize that I was doing well in my mock tests but could not represent a similar score in the main exam. That is when I was introduced to my inner demon ‘anxiety’. Even though I noticed that it was not just my preparation but the failures have begun to trigger my anxiety which might be affecting my scores I still chose to ignore it as observing an increase (from my previous score of 610) I thought that I should continue practicing more with new questions and challenge myself by solving higher difficulty questions (by this point I had already solved all OG questions and two courses worth of questions approximating around 1000+, Wrong Approach, I must tell you! ) This was the time when I started using GMATclub for their questions directory (which is very useful as well) and solved a bunch of fresh questions without actually focusing a lot on revision.
My Fourth Attempt
Again did you notice what I said, ‘I said without much revision’, the next worst thing you can do. When I first came across the concept of error log and seeing hundreds or templates and videos where people explained how error logs were helpful to them, I could not relate as much, I thought that if I know what the issue is in a generalized format then do we actually need to maintain an error log. However I was so wrong, my attitude towards not maintaining a proper in detail error log was another reason to my failures. So after my vigorous, studying for another month, I jumped onto the GMAT exam wagon again and gave another try. This time I scored a 570 and was shocked beyond my mind. This had a very bad set back on me as my anxiety towards the exam strengthened immensely. I had gone into depression, with thoughts like ‘I am just not suited for this!’ When I looked at the stories being posted by others, it just made me angrier which led to assumptions like no one can understand my pain (Boy!, Was I wrong with that thought).
My Journey with e-GMAT
But now when I think back in retrospect, I still did have a tiny flame burning in me. So in December I was browsing through Gmatclub and came across e-gmat. I had heard about e-gmat before but since I already had signed up with previous courses before, I was skeptical. In gmatclub there was an advertisement about one free consultation with an e-gmat expert. I thought maybe that is what I need. I might just need someone to tell me where I am going wrong because I sure as hell cannot figure it out myself.
So after my consultation with the expert, I felt a bit confident as he observed that my mock tests always had a 680+ score but my exam score always faltered. He diagnosed it as anxiety and lack of confidence on accuracy and approach. So next I tried their 7 day trial course and found their format of teaching very useful. One of the biggest attractions even before I purchased the course was the meaning based approach. This was something I was unaware of even though I had purchased previous guides. I attended some free lectures by e-gmat and when I tried to attempt some previously solved incorrect questions I began to see an improvement. So that is when I signed up for e-gmat. So while I was preparing, I received an email from the e-gmat experts welcoming me to a program called the last mile push. I was intrigued by the idea and definitely wanted a second set of eyes on my work as I still was unable to figure out why my mock test scores were good but during the testing experience I just could not achieve the score. That is when I was introduced to Archit Bhargava and my entire GMAT experience changed . In addition to my relentless efforts to keep pushing ahead, the specialized schedules, the one on one consultations, the strategic review approach, the video guides and time frame guides helped me a million times to improve not only my accuracy but also my ability and my timing. For example, one of my top issues was with timing, despite my thousand tries I still struggled with moving on from a question when stuck. This affected immensely on my performance for the remainder questions as I panicked and my anxiety took care of the rest. So this time after staying with e-gmat for a whole four months and scoring a 710-780 in the mock tests I was confident that my next try will hit the mark. So I took my fourth try in April and did not manage to hit the mark once again.
My last attempt!
Upon talking to Archit, the only comment he gave was ‘it was just not your day today’, and I think I needed to hear that. I was afraid that I might be judged for my performance. But the e–gmat team did nothing but support me all the way. I realized that it was no longer my ability, it was just a complex towards the exam built in me after the repeated failures I have had. I tried all the textbook therapies of just imagining a mock test scenario or meditation or deep breaths or thoughts like ‘it’s just an exam’, unfortunately they never worked for me. However, Archit suggested lets micro-focus on every aspect of your studies. Let’s make your preparation iron-clad. We then worked deeper on my timing pace and only focused on revision. That is when I realized what a miracle error logs and strategic reviews can be. Even though it takes time to create them and it seems a nuisance for people like me (who were in haste and lacked patience towards the exam), it was a miracle in disguise. So after another 2 months of only working on my time management skills, practicing on my weak areas (where the question pool from gmatclub really helped me) and revision, I went for my fifth try on June 26th 2021. Initially during the exam I felt that my verbal might not hit the mark and I could feel my anxiety building up. But at that moment, all I did was accept my anxiety as a part of me (which was something innate and not induced) and powered through Quant and the other sections. When I pressed the submit button and saw my score report come up, lo behold! A 710! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could only see the tears and the many many emotions flooding through my mind.
So to finally conclude a long story, I could not have done this without the indefinite support of my family, my fiance, my friends and e-gmat team. To all the newcomers, my only advice is be prepared for a bumpy journey and be super patient, it would definitely be a blissful experience to remember. Also definitely do not think you are only one who feels the negative emotions because there is always someone who went through the same feelings and managed to see the light at the end.
I can already see the question mark on the faces of people reading this that how did a person who trained herself in medical devices and healthcare land in construction. All I can say to that is poor timing and low luck. For people with no work experience who opt to study and work outside, it’s always an initial struggle to get a job due to lack of networking or cases were companies do not want to hire students who need a visa.
So back to the main story, I had worked for a good 2 years and as part of my job, I was subjected to a postgraduate diploma training in Business and Management where I fell in love with the subjects of management and leadership. Definitely the fact that me working in an SME where you have a billion roles on your head also added to the realization. I knew at this point that just a diploma will not suffice and an MBA will also create a path to go back to the healthcare sector. That is when I decided to start my preparation for pursuing an MBA. Before I dived into my GMAT preparation, I began sending my resume out to see whether my profile is strong enough for the colleges I wanted to apply for as I just had a mere 2 years. Next once I had the information in regards to what colleges expect, I quickly started my preparation for the GMAT. This was in October 2019.
My First Attempt!!
I officially began preparing for the GMAT from January 2020. Obviously I did what many others have already done before, just bought the official guide books and started studying blindly without actually trying to understand every aspect of the exam. I gave my first attempt in February 29th 2020 just to see or rather get a whiff of the exam (in my head it was another stupid assumption that if I give the exam once and see how it goes, even a failure would definitely help me reduce my nervousness when I give the exam next). I scored a 560.
My Second Attempt!
After the score, I knew that studying without guidance will not work, so I went on YouTube and looked up hundreds of videos where people gave their own guidance on how they scored 700+. Based on the information gathered, I tried the 7 day trial of the economist, liked their strategies (keep in mind I was an absolute novice at this point) I purchased Economist, which definitely helped me understand the GMAT exam a bit more. So I used that software for another 4 months than before the main exam I gave a few official mock tests (Exam 1 to 4) and scored 660-700 in them. Post that, I tried the GMAT official online exam where I scored a 610. Despite an increase, it was just not enough! So I went ahead and purchased Magoosh (after a similar research in GmatClub and YouTube), a different GMAT learning software hoping that maybe I need different strategies that can help me speed up my process of obtaining a high score.
My Third Attempt
I hope you have observed what I said there. I said ‘speed up the process’, the worst four letter sentence I had in my head. This is because I wanted to get out of my current job and get back to the healthcare sector with a desired position as a project manager. So I tried Magoosh for a while, I found their RC strategies really good and in general their strategies for Quant were good as well. Then I gave my next try after four months after scoring 700-720 in my mocks. I scored a 640, at some point I did realize that I was doing well in my mock tests but could not represent a similar score in the main exam. That is when I was introduced to my inner demon ‘anxiety’. Even though I noticed that it was not just my preparation but the failures have begun to trigger my anxiety which might be affecting my scores I still chose to ignore it as observing an increase (from my previous score of 610) I thought that I should continue practicing more with new questions and challenge myself by solving higher difficulty questions (by this point I had already solved all OG questions and two courses worth of questions approximating around 1000+, Wrong Approach, I must tell you! ) This was the time when I started using GMATclub for their questions directory (which is very useful as well) and solved a bunch of fresh questions without actually focusing a lot on revision.
My Fourth Attempt
Again did you notice what I said, ‘I said without much revision’, the next worst thing you can do. When I first came across the concept of error log and seeing hundreds or templates and videos where people explained how error logs were helpful to them, I could not relate as much, I thought that if I know what the issue is in a generalized format then do we actually need to maintain an error log. However I was so wrong, my attitude towards not maintaining a proper in detail error log was another reason to my failures. So after my vigorous, studying for another month, I jumped onto the GMAT exam wagon again and gave another try. This time I scored a 570 and was shocked beyond my mind. This had a very bad set back on me as my anxiety towards the exam strengthened immensely. I had gone into depression, with thoughts like ‘I am just not suited for this!’ When I looked at the stories being posted by others, it just made me angrier which led to assumptions like no one can understand my pain (Boy!, Was I wrong with that thought).
My Journey with e-GMAT
But now when I think back in retrospect, I still did have a tiny flame burning in me. So in December I was browsing through Gmatclub and came across e-gmat. I had heard about e-gmat before but since I already had signed up with previous courses before, I was skeptical. In gmatclub there was an advertisement about one free consultation with an e-gmat expert. I thought maybe that is what I need. I might just need someone to tell me where I am going wrong because I sure as hell cannot figure it out myself.
So after my consultation with the expert, I felt a bit confident as he observed that my mock tests always had a 680+ score but my exam score always faltered. He diagnosed it as anxiety and lack of confidence on accuracy and approach. So next I tried their 7 day trial course and found their format of teaching very useful. One of the biggest attractions even before I purchased the course was the meaning based approach. This was something I was unaware of even though I had purchased previous guides. I attended some free lectures by e-gmat and when I tried to attempt some previously solved incorrect questions I began to see an improvement. So that is when I signed up for e-gmat. So while I was preparing, I received an email from the e-gmat experts welcoming me to a program called the last mile push. I was intrigued by the idea and definitely wanted a second set of eyes on my work as I still was unable to figure out why my mock test scores were good but during the testing experience I just could not achieve the score. That is when I was introduced to Archit Bhargava and my entire GMAT experience changed . In addition to my relentless efforts to keep pushing ahead, the specialized schedules, the one on one consultations, the strategic review approach, the video guides and time frame guides helped me a million times to improve not only my accuracy but also my ability and my timing. For example, one of my top issues was with timing, despite my thousand tries I still struggled with moving on from a question when stuck. This affected immensely on my performance for the remainder questions as I panicked and my anxiety took care of the rest. So this time after staying with e-gmat for a whole four months and scoring a 710-780 in the mock tests I was confident that my next try will hit the mark. So I took my fourth try in April and did not manage to hit the mark once again.
My last attempt!
Upon talking to Archit, the only comment he gave was ‘it was just not your day today’, and I think I needed to hear that. I was afraid that I might be judged for my performance. But the e–gmat team did nothing but support me all the way. I realized that it was no longer my ability, it was just a complex towards the exam built in me after the repeated failures I have had. I tried all the textbook therapies of just imagining a mock test scenario or meditation or deep breaths or thoughts like ‘it’s just an exam’, unfortunately they never worked for me. However, Archit suggested lets micro-focus on every aspect of your studies. Let’s make your preparation iron-clad. We then worked deeper on my timing pace and only focused on revision. That is when I realized what a miracle error logs and strategic reviews can be. Even though it takes time to create them and it seems a nuisance for people like me (who were in haste and lacked patience towards the exam), it was a miracle in disguise. So after another 2 months of only working on my time management skills, practicing on my weak areas (where the question pool from gmatclub really helped me) and revision, I went for my fifth try on June 26th 2021. Initially during the exam I felt that my verbal might not hit the mark and I could feel my anxiety building up. But at that moment, all I did was accept my anxiety as a part of me (which was something innate and not induced) and powered through Quant and the other sections. When I pressed the submit button and saw my score report come up, lo behold! A 710! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could only see the tears and the many many emotions flooding through my mind.
So to finally conclude a long story, I could not have done this without the indefinite support of my family, my fiance, my friends and e-gmat team. To all the newcomers, my only advice is be prepared for a bumpy journey and be super patient, it would definitely be a blissful experience to remember. Also definitely do not think you are only one who feels the negative emotions because there is always someone who went through the same feelings and managed to see the light at the end.
01 Jul 2021, 09:14
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey Pooja,
It’s true everyone has different experience with GMAT, also your forth attempt might have disappointed you! The best thing is you didn’t give up. Fifth attempt has really brought a big smile on your face. GMAT is definitely not a few weeks game. Your experience can motivate many on this platform who’d appeared the exam few times but haven’t scored. Btw, Congratulations that’s a great score!
Posted from my mobile device
It’s true everyone has different experience with GMAT, also your forth attempt might have disappointed you! The best thing is you didn’t give up. Fifth attempt has really brought a big smile on your face. GMAT is definitely not a few weeks game. Your experience can motivate many on this platform who’d appeared the exam few times but haven’t scored. Btw, Congratulations that’s a great score!
Posted from my mobile device
01 Jul 2021, 09:34
Kudos
Bookmarks
Great score!! Thank you so much for posting your experience.
